Broken Arrow Police Seek Information In Hit And Run That Injured Soldier

An active duty soldier is in the hospital after being the victim of a hit and run crash in Broken Arrow.

Specialist Brendan Simmons and his wife and baby daughter, who will have her first birthday at the end of the month, were transferred here from New York last July.

The 24-year-old was riding his bike on State Highway 51, on his way to work at the Armed Forces Reserve Center, Sunday morning, when he was hit by a vehicle, near East Nashville Street.

The couple have a car, but it's broken down. It's going to cost $3,000 to fix; money they don't have right now, which is why he was riding his bike to work.

Friends say Simmons is such a private and proud man, he didn't tell anyone about his troubles.

Now, he's got a lot of healing to do. He has a broken leg and a concussion, plus road rash and cuts from head to toe.

3/18/2013 Related Story: Police Seek Driver Who Injured Tulsa Cyclist, Soldier

It was around 4:30 a.m., and Simmons was riding on the shoulder and wearing a reflective vest.

Orange paint on the road shows where Simmons was hit. Sgt. Ed Ferguson said Simmons and his bike landed 90 feet down the road in the drainage ditch, and he was propelled an additional 40 feet further.

Police estimate the driver was going about 55 mph, which is the speed limit. But the impact still scattered pieces of his bike. Ferguson said Simmons hit the pavement the first time with such impact that you can see the green from his reflective vest on the asphalt.

"Down here, you can see the seat of the bicycle, too," Ferguson said.

It was dark and it had been raining, so there was poor visibility. Ferguson said he understands how the crash could happen and how the driver might've mistakenly believed they hit debris or an animal.

But Ferguson recommends drivers stop and check when they've hit something, no matter what they think it was.

"You may think you hit a dog or object in the roadway, but you've got to make sure," he said.

Thankfully, a passerby spotted Simmons standing on the side of the road, bleeding and incoherent, and got him help.

Investigators say the vehicle that hit Simmons will have damage on the right front passenger side, fender and possibly the windshield. Police want to talk to the driver to find out what happened.

If you have any information that might help, call Crime Stoppers at 918-596-COPS.